Digital Government
Four contractors win $100 million-plus Defense pacts
The Defense Finance and Accounting Service has awarded contracts estimated at more than $100 million to each of four vendors for software support and other technical services at DFAS' Financial Systems Organization (DFASFSO). Under the Defense Financial Integrated Systems Services (DFISS) program
Digital Government
GSA does an about-face, reopens KC BOA channel
Bowing to pressure from a group of 8(a) vendors the General Services Administration plans to reopen the highly successful Basic Ordering Agreement program in the agency's Kansas City Mo. region and award as many as a dozen vendors sixmonth contracts worth up to $90 million each. Bob Woods commissi
Digital Government
DSB report: DOD must speed outsourcing
A Defense Science Board (DSB) study released last week calls for the Defense Department to move aggressively to outsource most DOD support activities and identifies the data centers as 'an attractive early candidate." The 'Report of the Defense Science Board Task Force on Outsourcing and Privatiza
Digital Government
FEDWIRE
Army cancels Workstation1 T he Army last week officially announced the cancellation of the $594 million Workstation1 procurement as previously reported in [FCW Sept. 9]. The decision to cancel contracts awarded to Digital Equipment Corp. and HewlettPackard Co. followed a partially upheld protGMT
Digital Government
Bellcore: Crypto keys on smart cards at risk
Investigators at network research company Bell Communications Research Inc. (Bellcore) Morristown N.J. have posited that cryptographic keys used to secure data on smart cards could be cracked if a hacker could induce a card's microprocessor to make errors in computation. But some industry executive
Digital Government
IRS to kill $1.3B DPS program
The Internal Revenue Service has decided to cancel its $1.3 billion Document Processing System and is considering outsourcing the handling of paper tax returns in the future. But the agency has not yet terminated its contract with Lockheed Martin Federal Systems pending a decision about whether it
Digital Government
FBI seeks interim solution
The FBI plans to award three contracts that will give it access to state and local digital fingerprint files a move observers say is a stopgap measure to provide the bureau with limited searchandmatch fingerprint capabilities as it struggles to get its $521 million Integrated Automated Fingerprin
Digital Government
Bellcore buy would broaden SAIC's talent base
Recent reports of Science Applications International Corp.'s negotiations to buy Bell Communications Research Inc. (Bellcore) have focused on the diversification angle. The thinking is that a Bellcore acquisition would help SAIC push into commercial and international markets from its base in the De
Digital Government
MicroTouch undercuts competition with $499 PC whiteboard product
MicroTouch Business Products Division a unit of MicroTouch Systems Inc. announced today a PC whiteboard product that undercuts competitors' pricing by at least $1 000 and is slated to appear on the General Services Administration's schedule early next year. Electronic whiteboards are designed to re
Digital Government
SGI offers updated products
Silicon Graphics Inc. this week will introduce new technologies to improve performance and scalability across its product line ranging from new entrylevel workstation products for graphicsintensive computing to a new generation of supercomputers. The announcements include the new entrylevel O2 w
Digital Government
AWARDS
Computer Sciences Corp. A $4.3 million award for ADP and telecommunications services. Commerce Department Acquisition Services 14th St. and Constitution Ave. N.W. Room H6517 Washington D.C. 20230.Micron Electronics Inc. A $443 000 award for notebook computers. Department of Energy Richland Operati
Digital Government
PTO buys despite protests
Three vendors filed protests last month with the General Accounting Office arguing that the Patent and Trademark Office made mistakes in evaluating bids for a $171 million purchase of desktop systems. But in an unusual move PTO officials decided late last month not to suspend the contract and to co
Digital Government
Base Technologies wins ADP support services contract
The Labor Department's Unemployment Insurance Service last month awarded a contract worth up to $25 million to Base Technologies Inc. for ADP support services that will help the agency track the flow of unemployment payments at the state and local levels. The McLean Va.based small business will of
Digital Government
LETTERS
I can't resist making a few comments about the article by John Gioia 'Strong independent management crucial to large IT programs' [FCW Sept. 16]. The problem with large IT programs never has been the strength independence or management tools of the program office. My observations of 'problem' IT pr
Digital Government
Schedule protest seen as test case
In what may become the first major legal test case for recent procurement reforms a General Accounting Office protest filed last month challenges an information technology purchase from the General Services Administration multipleaward schedule. The protest filed by Intelligent Decisions Inc. cent
Digital Government
ROSTER
Alvin Pesachowitz chief information officer at the Environmental Protection Agency has been elected vice chairman of the CIO Council a governmentwide advisory group. He will be serving under council chair John Koskinen deputy director of management at the Office of Management and Budget.The Bureau
Digital Government
JIVA holds multiple deals for IT firms
Federal contractors have multiple procurements to look toward as the Defense Intelligence Agency lays out plans to deliver on its proposed Joint Intelligence Virtual Architecture during the next 10 years. JIVA discussed publicly for the first time last month will provide the defense intelligence co
Digital Government
Hughes snags $27.8 million NOAA pact
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last week awarded a contract worth an estimated $27.8 million to Hughes STX Corp. to support the National Weather Service's modernization and restructuring programs. Under the Systems Engineering and Technical Support Services (SETSS) contract Hug
Digital Government
DOD adopts simulation standards
The Defense Department looking for more of a return on its investment in modeling and simulation technology has established a basic technical architecture to which all present and future simulation projects must conform. By its own estimate DOD spends billions of dollars each year building maintain
Digital Government